The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-11-02
terrifying.

Perhaps you did not know that the
flying of kites is as much of a national
game in some countries as baseball is
in America. Even the string is pre-
pared with powdered glass or other
some other while up in the air, bring
ing it quickly down-a sort of fight of
kites! But they are not called fighting,
only matches" With us kites 90 to
bed with the children, but in China
and elsewhere they hang lighted Ian
terms to them and fly them as late as
they please.
Did you ever hear of putting kites to
useful work? They have been useful
a great many times. Let me tell YOU
how. a good many years ago man
named "Steeple Jack " had a small
commonplace kite, without which he
could not have done work, for you may
know by his name that he had some
thing to do with steeples. Yesl that
was his business, repairing them, and
the higher they were the better, going
where nobody else would 90, no mat
ter how dangerous.
But first he sent up his little kite and
managed in some way to catch the cord,
which of course was of Irvine, around
the top of the spire, and then climb
for he was very small and thin-up this
tiny rope, seat himself on the top and
do his work fearlessly, scaling down in
a marvellous way, only known to him
self, until he reached the church roof,
and then descending through the scut-
tie. But you must remember this was
a great many years ago and churches in
the small place where he lived were
low, and it was no such hard work as it
would be nowadays.
Another use that once was made of
two kites by an inventive genius was
to harness them to light carriage, with
a strong set of strings to guide them,
and travelling a distance of one hun
dred fifty miles against the wind
What do you think of that? Just such
kites as the boys make exactly, only
these were more than twelve feet high
and made of linen, to be strong. This
was half century ago, when kites
were first invented.
But who ever did more with a kite
than the great Ben. Franklin, when he
tried to see what electricity was made
of? Even the wisest man did not know
what it was more than one hundred
years ago. But how do you think this
famous kite was made? There was
nothing beautiful about it, for it was
only common red silk handkerchief
a " bandana," as they called them in
old times, just such one as you see
old people carry to-day-and his was
stretched across two very rough sticks,
and yet it was the most famous kite
ever made, because it has taught every
boy and girl, as well as every grown
person, more than they ever could
have known and made Franklin him
self immortal. And this is the way it
all came about. You no doubt have
heard it many times, but it will bear
retelling, and it may reach some boy
or girl who doesn't know.
Franklin was very much interested in
electricity, and he was determined to
find out what he could about it, for he
believed that lightning and electricity
were the same thing, and even at the
risk of his own life just as thunder
shower was coming up he went out
into the field to fly his kite, not into
the house to hide as some of us would
do, perhaps. And when the cloud was
very near he took key from his pocket
and tied it to the end of the hempen
string that held his kite and watched
and waited, all the time holding it in
his hand. 1t was not long before the
loose tibers of the kite string stood up,
and in moment his knuckles received
such an electric shock as to set aside all
doubt in his mind about it.
Out of this discovery it was not long
before lightning-rods were invented by
him, which now so wonderfully protect
our dwellings, for when lightning leaves
the cloud it takes the first thing on its
way. If it is house it cannot escape,
but nice lightning-rod over it, made
taLas i Pre- from NJ Tho bouse down into t5e
ground.-Selected.